Strong M6.0 earthquake hits near the east coast of Honshu, Japan
A strong earthquake registered by the USGS as M6.0 hit near the east coast of Honshu, Japan, at 15:21 UTC on October 4, 2025 (00:21 LT, October 5). The agency is reporting a depth of 46.8 km (29 miles). EMSC is reporting M6.0 at a depth of 47 km.
Epicenter of M6.0 earthquake near the east coast of Honshu, Japan on October 4, 2025. Credit: TW/SAM, Google
The epicenter was located 56 km (35 miles) east of Tomioka (population 1 489), 59 km (37 miles) east of Namie (population 21 866), 65 km (41 miles) east-southeast of Minami-Sōma (population 59 005), 78 km (48 miles) northeast of Iwaki (population 357 309), and 112 km (70 miles) east-southeast of Fukushima City (population 294 237), Japan.
4 373 000 people are estimated to have felt light shaking, and 28 791 000 weak shaking. No population was exposed to moderate or stronger shaking levels.
There is no tsunami threat from this earthquake.
The USGS issued a Green alert for shaking-related fatalities and economic losses. There is a low likelihood of casualties and damage.
Overall, the population in this region resides in structures that are resistant to earthquake shaking, though vulnerable structures exist. The predominant vulnerable building types are heavy wood frame and reinforced or confined masonry construction.
Recent earthquakes in this area have caused secondary hazards such as landslides and fires that might have contributed to losses.
Estimated population exposure to earthquake shaking
Selected cities exposed
Regional seismicity
References:
1 M6.0 earthquake near east coast of Honshu, Japan — USGS — October 4, 2025
2 M6.0 earthquake near east coast of Honshu, Japan — EMSC — October 4, 2025
I'm a dedicated researcher, journalist, and editor at The Watchers. With over 20 years of experience in the media industry, I specialize in hard science news, focusing on extreme weather, seismic and volcanic activity, space weather, and astronomy, including near-Earth objects and planetary defense strategies. You can reach me at teo /at/ watchers.news.
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